The ‘small but sensitive’ way Prince William tried to make peace with Prince Harry revealed

Before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry officially bowed out as working royals, their last public appearance was at the Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020.

Stepping out in a bold green Emilia Wickstead cape dress, the Duchess of Sussex held a chic bag by Gabriela Hearst in one hand and her husband’s hand in the other as they entered Westminster Abbey.

But there were signs of familial frostiness as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex perched on the pews.

As Prince William and Princess Catherine took their seats, barely a word was exchanged between the brothers. 

All lip readers could make out was a curt, ‘Hello Harry’ from William, to which his younger brother replied: ‘Hello’.

With a smile on her face, Meghan was seen to say ‘hi’ and then ‘hello’ to the Duke of Cambridge when he didn’t appear to see her the first time.

It was not clear whether any further exchanges took place off camera.

But writing in his book Battle of the Brothers, royal expert Robert Lacey revealed that Prince William had extended ‘a small but sensitive gesture of peace’ to Prince Harry prior to the service, despite the otherwise cold exchange.

According to the author, Harry was ‘fighting back tears’ at the event, as he was expecting to filter into the Abbey alongside the other senior royals for one final time -as they had the year before. 

Instead, it would only be Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine taking part in ‘The Procession of The Queen’ – a snub which was printed in the Order of Service for all 2,000 members of the congregation to see. 

‘Harry and Meghan were not included in this senior royal group,’ Mr Lacey wrote. 

‘As “junior” royals they would have to shuffle their way to their seats that afternoon like any other member of the congregation and take their places on the sidelines alongside their fellow “juniors”, Edward and Sophie Wessex.’

The prince was reportedly ‘furious’ at being ‘shunted aside on this final appearance’.

Fearing another highly public royal skirmish, William and Catherine stepped in to defuse the situation and offered to join ‘emotional’ Harry and Meghan as they waited in their seats for the Queen, Charles and Camilla to arrive.

‘It was a small but sensitive gesture of peace,’ Mr Lacey wrote. ‘Within minutes of each other, the two princes and their wives slipped quietly into their seats, and both couples then sat waiting with everyone else for the Queen and Prince Charles to process in senior splendour down the aisle to open the ceremony’.

But it seems his eleventh-hour olive branch was still not enough to ease the ill-feeling between the feuding family – in what body language expert Judi James described as ‘not exactly the warm reunion we were hoping for’.

Princess Catherine and Prince William arrive for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greet Prince Edward, Meghan and Harry as they take their seats before the ceremony

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, lean forward to speak to William and Catherine as the Duke and Duchess watch on

The Cambridges were meant to walk in behind the Queen and Prince Charles but there was a ‘last minute change’ as William extended an olive branch to his brother Harry who was left out of the procession

‘The tension in Harry’s body language especially was palpable,’ Ms James said. ‘When Harry arrived, the minute he and Meghan had to drop hands, he immediately reached for his wedding ring which is a self comfort. 

‘Even when she was beside him after they had stopped holding hands, he was missing her, needing her support.

‘As Harry walked up the aisle to his seat, they both waved at the children, but his face otherwise was quite tense and unsmiling.’

Throughout the service, Meghan sported a Suits TV-style smile.

‘Big smiles!’ had been her whispered instruction to her husband as they took their seats.

But after the ceremony when Kate and William drove away, Ms James said we saw a ‘different Harry altogether’.

‘With the other royals gone Harry and Meghan became an animated, tactile double-act again, with Harry chatting to Craig David as though he was an old friend and Meghan even leaning forward to touch Anthony Joshua on the arm to congratulate him for his speech,’ she claimed.

‘Harry suddenly looked like a man reluctant to leave a party, throwing a thumbs-up gesture to Joshua over his shoulder while Meghan touched Harry’s arm in what looked like a gesture of affection and steering.

From left to right: The Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. All five were senior royals and meant to process behind the Commonwealth flag

Members of the royal family leave Westminster Abbey after attending the Commonwealth Day Service. Harry was reportedly ‘holding back tears’ throughout

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave after attending the Commonwealth Day Service

Catherine shakes the hand of a young wellwisher before she departs with her husband William

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave Westminster Abbey. They had already announced their plans to step down as working royals

Catherine shakes the hand of a young wellwisher before she departs with her husband Harry

‘Laughing and joking with the people outside, Harry’s relief looked so tangible that his sudden eyes to heaven and raised hands looked awfully like a signal of thanks. 

‘He became animated and far more relaxed and holding Meghan’s hand again.

‘He looked like a man who felt he’s got the most difficult moments over and who could now return to being “Just Harry” again with his wife and son.’